Facts You Don't Really Need to Know: The Useless Trivia Quiz

Ever wonder what those little ridges are on quarters or whether your favorite cartoon characters have real names? Take our quiz to test your knowledge of completely useless random trivia, and maybe pickup a fact or two to impress your friends!

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Question 1 of 30

How much does the U.S. Navy spend each year on its Marine Mammal Program?

$2.8 million

$28 million

The Navy shells out $28 million annually to train a team of San Diego dolphins and sea lions to locate land mines.

$280 million

Question 2 of 30

Which came first, Hydrox or Oreo?

They were invented the same year.

Oreo

Hydrox

While come many assume that Hydrox is an Oreo knockoff, the Hydrox cookie actually came first. Introduced way back in 1908, it made its debut four years before the Oreo.

Question 3 of 30

How many different words are in "Green Eggs and Ham"?

50

Responding to a challenge from his editor, Dr. Seuss used just 50 different words to craft the classic "Green Eggs and Ham."

100

200

Question 4 of 30

In the Scooby-Doo world, what is Shaggy's real name?

Samuel

David

Norville

The slacker Shaggy has a surprisingly refined birth name — Norville Rogers.

Question 5 of 30

True or false: A Twinkie never expires and can be consumed years after it was made.

true

false

The shelf life of a Twinkie is about 25 days, and it only lasts that long because it contains almost no dairy.

Question 6 of 30

How many hamburgers does McDonald's sell every second?

25

75

McDonald's sells 75 hamburgers per second, or 2.36 billion per year.

150

Question 7 of 30

What is the largest restaurant chain in the world, by number of stores?

McDonald's

Subway

Subway has been the world's largest restaurant chain since 2011, with more than 40,000 stores as compared to about 35,000 for McDonald's.

Burger King

Question 8 of 30

How many Americans claim to have been abducted by aliens?

60,000

600,000

6 million

A whopping six million Americans — 2.5 percent of the population — believe that they've spent time with little green men.

Question 9 of 30

True or false: Students were taking classes at Oxford before the Aztec civilization ever started in the Americas.

true

The earliest teaching at Oxford began in 1096, while the Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan in 1325. By that time, Oxford was a full-fledged university campus complete with dorms for students.

false

Question 10 of 30

How many babies do armadillos have at once?

one

two

four

Nine-banded armadillos — the only type found in the U.S. — always give birth to identical quadruplets.

Question 11 of 30

What is the national animal of Scotland?

sheep

unicorn

The unicorn, chosen because it's the natural enemy of the lion, has been Scotland's official national symbol since the 14th century.

horse

Question 12 of 30

What creature is on the Welsh flag?

horse

pig

dragon

The green and white Welsh flag proudly sports a bright red dragon.

Question 13 of 30

What company did Ronald Wayne co-found?

Microsoft

McDonald's

Apple

Wayne was Apple's third co-founder. He sold his 10 percent share of Apple back in the '70s for $800. Yes, $800.

Question 14 of 30

What movie led Reed Hastings to start Netflix?

"Scarface"

"Apollo 13"

After owing a $40 late fee for holding onto a rented copy of "Apollo 13" for too long, Hastings came up with the idea of Netflix.

"Titanic"

Question 15 of 30

True or false: There is a basketball court at the Supreme Court.

true

Even stately judges need their exercise. The basketball court at the U.S. Supreme Court is called "the highest court in the land," but there's a strict ban on playing when court is in session.

false

Question 16 of 30

There's also a basketball court at the top of this Disney attraction.

Space Mountain

Matterhorn

There's a smaller-than-half-court basketball setup at the top of the Matterhorn, a classic Disneyland coaster.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Question 17 of 30

According to a Purdue University study, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

364

Purdue's licking machine took an average of 364 licks to reach the sweet chocolate center.

724

1,024

Question 18 of 30

What are those little indentations in the sides of coins called?

flutes

drapes

reeds

The indentations, or reeds, were originally added to coins to keep people from shaving off bits of the precious metal used to make the coin.

Question 19 of 30

True or false: There is an equal number of reeds on every coin, regardless of the denomination.

true

false

A dime has 118 reeds, while a quarter has 119. If you come across a half-dollar, you can expect to find 150 reeds around its perimeter.

Question 20 of 30

What do you call a group of kangaroos?

dazzle

mob

A mob can range from just a few members to several hundred.

gaggle

Question 21 of 30

How many people in the U.S. are killed by a shark each year, on average?

one

Sharks kill an average of just one person per year in the U.S., which is about the same as the number of people killed by alligators.

five

12

Question 22 of 30

How many people in the U.S. are killed by cows each year?

20

Forget known predators like sharks — cows kill an average of 20 people per year, while dogs kill an average of 28 people annually.

40

60

Question 23 of 30

How long is a jiffy?

infinitesimally small

Officially, a jiffy is the time it takes for light to travel 1 centimeter. It's so small that's it's measured in picoseconds.

around a second

10-20 seconds

Question 24 of 30

True or false: Hippos produce pink milk.

true

false

Contrary to rumors, hippos produce white milk. They do, however, secrete an orange oil substance that might mix with the milk and give it a pink hue.

Question 25 of 30

What was bubble wrap originally designed as?

wallpaper

Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 as a form of textured wallpaper. When that failed to take off, its inventors realized that it did a great job of protecting items during shipping.

insulation

shipping and packing

Question 26 of 30

The Venus flytrap is native only to this country.

Brazil

United States

The hungry little plant is native to a small region along the border of North and South Carolina.

Ghana

Question 27 of 30

True or false: Yoda and Miss Piggy were both voiced by the same actor.

true

Actor Frank Oz provided the voice of both Yoda and Miss Piggy, as well as other Muppets characters like Animal and Fozzie Bear.

false

Question 28 of 30

How much is a smidgen of salt?

1/4 teaspoon

1/8 teaspoon

1/32 teaspoon

Break out your smallest set of spoons! A smidgen amounts to just 1/32 of a teaspoon.

Question 29 of 30

True or false: The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4.

true

false

While Congress adopted the document on July 4th and declared independence, the declaration itself wasn't signed until about a month later.

Question 30 of 30

What is the first name of Cap'n Crunch?

Horatio

Horatio Magellan Crunch sails aboard the S.S. Guppy in a sea of milk and cereal.